Luke Lends a Hand
by Giracer4
Summary: In the church of Talto near the end of the city of fallen angels, Luke asks Simon if he wants him to help explain to his mother. Simon says no, but what if he said yes?
1. Simon

"Simon, I heard what happened with you and your mom. Clary told me. If you need somewhere to crash for the night, you're always welcome on my couch, you know." Luke told Simon. Simon bit his lip. The Church of Talto bustled around them like moth's around a flame. Alec and Magnus stood in a corner, Isabelle sat on a bench, surrounded by people, the center of attention. Luke caught Simon's expression. "Are you all right, Simon?" He nodded. Luke looked him in the eye. "I know what you feel like right now, Simon." He told him. Simon's expression changed from upset to confused. Then he remembered. Luke's sister, Amatis. He was right. If there was one person on this earth who knew what it felt like to be thrown out for what he was, that person was probably Luke. "You know, I was thinking about going home tonight. Despite what my mother says."

Luke smiled. It was an oddly wolfish, but friendly and familiar grin. He glanced at one of the many windows in the church. "It's getting dark." He stated. "Do you need a ride home? The subway isn't a good idea at night." Simon resisted the urge to scoff. Luke knew as well as he did that he had no reason to fear any muggers on the subway. He was trying to be nice. It was a normal, Luke-like thing to do. Simon shrugged. "Sure"

Luke's truck navigated the bumpy street easily. It was silent, except for the quiet music playing from the radio. The silence wasn't awkward so much as unsettling. Simon was so nervous he couldn't keep his hands from sliding into fists. His leg was bumping up and down on the floor, his fangs threatening to emerge. Luke glanced crossways at him. His face was concerned and comforting. It was his Are-you-alright face that reminded him of whenever he or Clary had gotten hurt. Luke checked his mirror as he pulled over beside Simon's house. "Do you want me to come and help you explain things to your mom?" He asked. Simon paused, his hand on the door handle. He knew for a fact that his mom liked Luke as a friend. He was easy-going and enjoyable company. He didn't want that wrecked by Luke trying to explain things to her. The selfless, kind Simon would say no, he could handle it on his own. The macho, tough, vampire Simon would say much the same thing. Simon didn't feel like either of those people today. Instead, he just nodded weakly, just like he had tumbled off the swing set as a kid and Luke had picked him up and brushed him off, asking if he was okay. Luke pulled the door open and got out with him.

They climbed the steps towards the front door, Simon's anticipation and nervousness mounting with every step. By the time he was ready to knock on the door, it was a budding panic inside him, his heart ready to explode, if it had actually been properly functioning. Luke took a step back from the door. Simon held his breath and knocked once, twice, three times. His mom swung the door open a crack, then a little wider, her small, delicate face appearing around the door. Her soft smile morphed into a frown when she saw Simon's face. The door swung forwards to slam in his face, but Luke reached a hand over Simon's head and caught the door firmly on his palm. "Elain, wait." He said, his voice low and reasurring. She opened it a bit more. "Luke. Why are you here?" She opened the door wider. "To talk with you. About Simon." Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know about this?" She asked him. Her voice wasn't hostile, but almost. Luke just shrugged. "May we come in?" Elain just nodded and opened the door for them, looking slightly off-kilter. Luke stood in the entryway. "What do you want?" She was acting as if Simon wasn't even there. "I want" Luke began "To hear your side of the story." Elain shrugged and nodded. "I thought Simon was acting strange." She began. "I started to think that it was drugs. So I went looking through his room." She took a deep breath. "and when I looked in his mini fridge, I found _blood" _ She shuddered. Simon was feeling smaller and smaller. "Bottles of it. He was _drinking _it, Luke. I thought it was some sort of cult or something." She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. "And when I asked him, he said he was a vampire!" She laughed weakly. "A vampire? Insane." She chuckled again. Simon was starting to get scared. He had never seen his mother like this before. Right then, he was glad that Luke was here with him. If he was facing his mother alone, he would have turned tale and ran right there. Providing she had even let him in in the first place. "Elain." Luke said. His voice was soft, soothing. "Come sit down" She went to the couch and sat demurely, legs crossed. Luke sat in the old armchair next to the fireplace. Rebecca's cat curled around his ankle's. Becky's home, Simon thought. "So" Elain asked Luke "What did you come here for?" Simon leaned forwards in his chair, almost imperceptively. Luke's eyes connected with his mom's. "I came to ask you to believe your son. You think he thinks he's a vampire, but it's true. He _is _one. And one of the most decent one's I've ever met." Elain's eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open in a perfect O before she could conceal her reactions. She didn't laugh. "Are you going insane, Luke?" She asked softly. Elain was having a hard time believing this. She had known Luke for almost twelve years, and suddenly, he was acting insane. He believed her son was a vampire. She shook her head. "You're trying to tell me vampire are real. Now you'll be trying to tell me about werewolves and faeries" She scoffed, laughing. Luke visibly winced at the first part. "Elain." He started slowly. "there are parts to this world that normal people can't see." She looked at him, confused. "Werewolves, vampires, faeries, warlocks. Demons. They're all real. All the stories are true." Luke grinned a bit at the shadowhunters motto. "How do you know about this, Luke?" she demanded, her voice accusing. Simon saw Luke bite his lip, just a bit. Here we go, thought Simon. "I know about werewolves because I am one." He said cautiously, waiting for her reaction. She laughed. "You've gone crazy, Luke. Werewolves don't exist, neither do vampires." Luke waited until she finished talking, then stood up. "Some people say werewolves need a full moon to Change." He said. Suddenly, he was shrinking, elongating, sprouting fur and growing a snout. Simon had seen Luke Change before, but not in his living room, with his mother watching. She screamed. It was louder than the time she had found a cockroach the size of an oven mit in the fridge. Luke finished transforming. He looked up at her, his head cocked, ears relaxed. He had a long strip of grey on his side. Elain jumped up on the couch, her hands over her mouth. Luke, satisfied that he had gotten his point across, changed back to human. It only took five seconds or so. Luke, in his human form, was back in their living room. He sat back down, and only then seemed to notice the state of Simon's mom. "Elain. Sit _down." _ He said, his voice firm, commanding. With a bit of a whimper, she sat down. "You… you're a monster." Luke looked slightly taken aback. "I'm not a monster. I'm the same person as before. So is Simon." Only now did she seem to start to believe him. "All the stories are true" he repeated. She nodded slowly. "Jocelyn" She asked "Does Jocelyn know about this?" she asked. Luke nodded. "She was amoung the first to find out." Elain's expression changed. "You weren't born like this?" Luke shook his head no. "Fifteen years ago, I was first bitten." "Did you have to explain it all to her? Jocelyn, I mean?" Simon could tell that Luke had planned to skirt around the entire Shadowhunter business, as a way to save Clary and Jocelyn from being questioned. That wasn't going to happen now. Quickly, he explained about Shadowhunter, Nephilim from the bible. "They're Demon hunters. That was what Jocelyn was born into. Her name is Fairchild, not Fray." He finished. "And Clary? What about her?" She asked. "Jocelyn tried to hide everything from Clary. She didn't want her to grow up like a Shadowhunter, but as a normal girl." "And you?" she asked. Simon couldn't really believe this. His mother normally didn't pry so much. It was a bit embarrassing, but Luke didn't really seem to mind. "I was a Shadowhunter as well. Lucian Graymark was a Shadowhunter, Luke Garroway is not." He made it clear that the topic was not open for discussion. Rebecca walked in through the doorway to the laundry room. The washer had been going the entire time, so Simon knew she hadn't heard anyway. Luke's head went up as she entered, as if he was smelling something. His eye's fell on Rebecca. "Simon. You didn't tell me your sister was a werewolf."


	2. Rebecca

Chapter 2: Rebecca

"You're a... a what?" Elain's eyes bugged out as she spoke. She turned around to stare at her daughter. Rebecca's face had gone pale, her eyes wide and fearful. "Is that it? Is that what's happening to me?" Her voice was terrified. Simon stared at his sister. He wondered if he had been around, he would have been able to tell? Rebecca stared at Luke. "What's going on?" Her voice seemed weak and scared, riddled with fear, laced with confusion. "What- what am I?" Luke smiled sympathetically. "Come have a seat, Rebecca." Luke had always called her Rebecca. Never Becky. Nervous, she took a seat. "Luke, what are you talking about?" Elain asked. Her confusion was evident in her voice, along with a growing sense of fear. Was it possible that Luke could recognize other werewolves? If it was, he must be mistaken. Rebecca couldn't be a werewolf. But her expression was so scared, she must be considering it. Luke opened his mouth to explain again, but this time, Simon stepped in. "Becky, what's happened? Why do you- why do beleive him? What's wrong." Rebecca shook her head. "I got attacked by this enormous dog. Someone, I thought it was his owner, called the thing off. Afterwards, I started feeling really strange. Really horrible angry flashes, and times where I'd feel my life was worthless. Then, almost a month ago, I went outside, I felt really- odd. Like I was crawling. Later, I chalked it up to some crazy dream, but now... now I'm not so sure." Rebecca finished. Luke had a look of uneasy sureness on his face that made Simon nervous. He knew that werewoves could recognize each other- probably by scent- but he prayed that Luke had been mistaken. "Luke are- are you sure?" His mom asked, terrified. Rebecca looked from her mother to Luke and back again. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice cracking. Simon stepped in, dipping his toe into the water, cautiosly. Just like Maia, he thought. "Becky, listen to me. This is going to sound weird. I mean really, freaky, crazy weird. All the stories are true." He said in one breath, rushing it out. "Werewolves, Vampires, Warlocks, Faeries. Demons. It's all entirely, freakishly true." Rebecca wasn't looking at him like her mom had looked at Luke. She was looking at him like she needed something to believe, something to explain away her fear. Simon realized he couldn't give that to her. Being a werewolf would just raise more fear, more questions. But she had to know. It wouldn't make any sense not knowing. And his secret. She'd need to know it too. But, above anything else, he didn't want her to end up hating him like vampires and werewolves were supposed to hate each other. But Simon didn't want to be the one to break it to her. Luke noticed his unwillingness to continue and stepped in, easing himself into the conversation with a smooth, almost wolf-like, grace. He knit his hands together in his lap. "Rebecca. You said that you were attacked by a dog. That was no dog. That was a werewolf. They say that werewolf bites have a one in two chance of passing on Lycanthropy. In reality, its three out of four. I don't think that you are one of the lucky few." Her face, if possible, went even paler. "Luke. Are you saying that... that I'm a _werewolf?" _she said the word with a sort of thin disgust, masking the confusion under it. Luke nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am." Rebecca gave a sort of little gasp and buried her face in her hands. Small, gasping sobs echoed from the barrier of bones and skin that hid her face. Elain jumped up from her place on the couch and hurried behind it to comfort her daughter. Carefully, Elain guided Rebecca to sit down on the couch. Slowly, Rebecca raised her tearstained face from her hands. "How do you know?" She asked. Luke sucked in a breath before she continued "About all of this? The werewolves, vampires, Demons, all of it?" Luke slowly exhaled. Here we go, He thought to himself. "I know about it all because I was born into it. Demons feed on humans. They would have overrun the world long ago if it hadn't been for the Nephilim. The shadowhunters. Demon hunters, they're like a race of elite humans, trained to hunt demons. I was born as one of them, as Lucian Graymark, not Luke Garrowway." Her eyes widened. "And mom. And you Simon, how did you know?" She asked, looking to each one in turn. Simon answered first. May as well get this over with now. "I knew about all this stuff for- maybe two months. After Clary..." he drew off. "After Clary what? Rebecca pried. "After she discovered she was a Shadowhunter, like her mom." Rebecca's eyes widened. "But there's more." Simon couldn't keep his sister in the dark. "There's more. You know, the vampires Luke told you about, well, I am one. I went to a warlocks party with Clary, to try to find out a bit about this warlock... well, I tried a drink, it turned me into a rat, and I went home with a bunch of vampires." Simon continued, telling her about the hotel, how Clary and Jace had rescued him from it. He left out the wolf pack. That was for Luke to tell. "... And I woke up in a graveyard with Rapheal, Clary, Jace and a few others." He finished. Rebecca looked astonished. His mother looked suprised. Even she hadn't heard the whole story. Rebecca blinked. "So my brother's a vampire. I'm a werewolf." She glanced at her mother. "You must feel weird. You're the only human here." Her mother smiled weakly. "Wait." Rebecca said. "There's one more thing." She glanced over at Luke who sat, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Do all Nephilim know when werewolves are near?" Luke could have lied. He could have told her yes, and there would have been no one to blame him for protecting his secret. The fact that he did not lie increased Simon's respect for him all over again. "No. Nephilim can only tell when another of their own kind is around. The same rule applies to werewolves and vampires." Rebecca stared as revelation dawned across her dampened face. "Luke. You, you're a werewolf." He nodded. "yep." The word sounded simple, too simple, an inadequate response for an entirely adequate accusation. Suddenly, he was transported back to a moment in the pack headquarters, Clary finding out what he was. He shook off the memories. This was Rebecca, not Clary. "If I ever found out who did this to you, Rebecca, I'll tell you. I'm sure they're not in my pack. If they were, they would be dead within the week." He said with finality. Rebecca's eyes widened. It had obviously not occured to her that Luke, the man that had treated her like a daughter for a long time, could have killed someone. Luke backtracked hastily. "Rebecca, that's how werewolf politics and punishment works. It's painfully simple. If you do something bad enough, you die. Biting a human is against the most ancient of werewolf laws, unless provoked. To replace a pack leader, the first one must die. The one who killed it becomes pack leader. I'm the pack leader here in Brooklyn. The headquarters is the abandoned police station, If you ever need a place to stay." Simon was sure he didn't mean to, but Luke glanced at Elain. Luke, even for a bachelor who had never had a child of his own, would always look out for anyone he considered under his wing. Rebecca, being a new werewolf, fell into that category. Elain shot him a murderous look. "She doesn't need a place to stay, she'll always have a place here if she wants it." Simon glared at his mother. _What are you? What have you done with my son? _Her words echoed through his head. _Monster. _He stood abruptly. His mom looked up at him, as if just realizing what she'd said. With long strides, he opened the door and left, slamming it behind him. Elain jumped up as her son left. "What did I say? What have I done?" She covered her hands with her mouth. Springing up from the couch, Elain sprinted out the door, leaving Rebecca and Luke sitting in the living room.

"Luke, you weren't born a werewolf, were you?" Rebecca asked, curious. Luke shook his head. "I was born Nephilim, as I said before." Rebecca cocked her head to one side. "What did you think when you found out? About Lyncanthropy, I mean." Luke exhaled slowly. "well, it was different for me, because everyone I knew already knew about the existence of werewolves. But at that time, I was part of an organization called the Circle. The leader of it was Valentine, Jocelyn's first husband and Clary's father. He was my greatest friend. The two of us were Parabatai, warriors that fight side by side." Rebecca's face was sad. "Jocelyn married your best friend?" He nodded, his face sad, remembering the horrible day. It was one of the worst of his life. "Yes, but that's not the point. Valentine was a cruel, evil person, but not everyone thought so. You see, the main aim of the Circle was have the laws that kept peace between downworlders like you, me and your brother, annihlated and all downworlders hunted like demons." Rebecca gasped, grasping the implications of his words in an instant. "I was Valentine's second in command. But when I was bitten and I discovered my Lycanthropy... The first time he saw me after he discovered what I was, he handed me a knife and told me to kill myself... because it was the honorable thing to do." Rebecca gasped. "That's horrible! Did you leave after that? Where did you go?" Luke grinned, remembering what had happened after. "No. No, I didn't leave."

It had started to rain. Simon hadn't stepped outside yet, he stood in the doorway, staring out across the street at the bright coloured cars and yellow taxis flying past on the road. Where would he go? Behind him, he heard footsteps, then "Simon, Simon, wait!" His mom hurried up beside him. "Simon, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said. You'll always have a home here, no matter when, no matter what you are. So will you, so will your sister." He looked at his mom. She reached up and hugged him. "No matter what, you will always be my son."


	3. Taki's

Taki's

Simon took Rebecca through the doors. He could see that Clary and Jace were already there, and Maia too. Isabelle was just sitting down. Clary looked up and smiled, waving them over. Time for Rebecca to meet the others, he thought. They had met with Clary and her mom the night before, and Simon had explained the whole incident. He remembered how well _that _had went.

"Oh, Simon, I wasn't expecting you." Jocelyn had opened the door expecting Clary. She wasn't home yet. Luke sat behind them, watching the news on the old TV in the apartment above the bookstore. When he saw Simon, he switched it off. He had told them to come over today, asked them to explain things to Jocelyn, so she wasn't caught by off guard one day. Rebecca stepped into her line of view. Suprise crossed her face. "Oh, Rebecca, I'm so sorry." "Sorry?" She asked. "Sorry for what?" Rebecca asked. Jocelyn gasped and put her hands to her temples, walking in a quick circle. "This isn't possible." Luke jumped up and walked to Jocelyn's side. "This isn't your fault. It can't be." He told her. She just shook her head. Rebecca squinted a bit at Jocelyn, then gasped. "When I was attacked... I thought it was a dog, and their owner pulled it off." Jocelyn nodded. "I thought it's head was on fire." Rebecca finished. "Even though I'm not technically a shadowhunter anymore, I'd never let a rogue werewolf attack an innocent person." She looked Rebecca up and down, settling on her eyes. Rebecca hadn't looked in a mirror since she first changed. Not really looked, so she didn't know what Jocelyn was so fixated on. "I never thought the innocent person was you." Luke fixed Jocelyn with a questioning stare. Instead of asking why or being upset that she hadn't told him, he said "Did you recognize him? The werewolf, I mean?" Jocelyn shook her head. "It was no one from your pack... I'd never seen them before." Luke nodded. He looked relieved. "Wait- What happened?" Clary was climbing the stairs behind Rebecca and Simon. "Rebecca?"

Clary had gotten used to the idea, though. She didn't have a problem with it in the first place, actually. Simon slid into a seat beside Isabelle, Rebecca sat beside him. "So." Jace shot a sideways glance at Rebecca. "You're Simon's sister." Rebecca just nodded. "And a werewolf." She nodded tersely. Isabelle took one look at the way Rebecca was looking at the rest of them; like they might jump out and kill her in a second, and laughed. "We haven't killed Simon yet, and I think you're a lot less annoying than him." She glanced at her in suprise. Isabelle chuckled again. "There are shadowhunters in the world" Alec said seriously "That think downworlders are scum. As you can see, we aren't like that really." He spread his arms, indicating the rest of the group around him. As he finished, the doors to Taki's swung open. Maia and Jordan. Jordan wasted no time. He slid into the booth beisde Alec, across from Rebecca. "Rebecca" he started. Simon had called him beforehand and told him about his sister. "I'm one of the Praetor Lupus." He started "Latin for 'wolf'" Rebecca interupted. His eyes widened. "And the entire purpose is to make sure newly created downworlders know what they are and to keep them from destroying the world." He gave a light half-laugh at the end, but his eyes stayed serious. "Like a pack?" She asked. "Not exactly. It's more permanent and stable. There is only one Praetor Lupus." She nodded. "There is a place there for you, if you want it." Rebecca just bit her lip. "I figured I'd just join Luke's pack... but I'll think about it." Jordan nodded. "Luke's pack is a good option too." Jordan said. His voice was calm and level. "it is honestly the most civil one I've ever seen. Luke will be pack leader for a long time yet." Rebecca nodded. "So, Rebbecca, main rule of being a werewolf: No silver earings." Maia said, laughter under her voice. "No seriously. Bad, bad idea." As the conversation turned to different, inconsequitial matters, such as whether Isabelle's whip/bracelet would look better as a necklace, Simon's thoughts wandered. He wanted his sister to stay with Luke's pack. Even though she was a good bit older than him, he still wanted to look out for her. Luke's pack was safer than the Praetor Lupus, and closer to home. Besides, he trusted Luke. The sun was starting to set, and everyone got up to leave.

Rebecca lay twisting and turning in her bed. The moon shone through her window, but she didn't feel the need to change. Uncomfortable, she got up for a glass of water. Barefoot, she padded to the kitchen. The clock on the stove said 1:54, but it felt later than that, somehow. Sipping at her glass, she tried calm her whirring thoughts. Luke's pack or Praetor Lupus? It was an impossible decision. Would Luke feel betrayed if she went with Jordan? But what would Luke's pack give her? With the Praetor, she figured, she would have a purpose and something to do. It seemed structured. She glanced at the number that Jordan had scrawled on her arm. "Call me anytime." He had said. Did nearly 2 in the morning count as anytime? It didn't matter, she supposed. She picked up the phone and dialed his number before she could change her mind. "Jordan? Hi." She waited as he spoke. "yes, I've decided." She took a breath. "yes, that sounds good. I'll see you in the morning." She hung up the phone. Now, with her decision made, she thought that she would finally be able to sleep.

"Yes, Simon. I know. Yes, yes, no." She tapped the end button and sighed. Jordan sat beside her in the truck. They bumped over a road heading towards, Jordan said, the Praetor headquarters. Simon had been calling her on and off for an hour. He wasn't happy with her choice. Neither was their mother, to be exact. As she hung up on Simon, her phone rang again. It was Luke. Gritting her teeth, she hit answer. "Hello, Rebecca." He said. His voice was level and calm. It was his 'Luke' voice. "Simon told me your choice." "I hope you're not disapointed." She said. "Oh, no. I'm glad you made your own choice. I expected that you would choose the Praetor." Rebecca raised her eyebrows. "I hope that you enjoy your time there. And Rebecca" He paused "Don't ever try to hide what you are. The more you do, the more you become it. And always remember that you have a place in the pack, where ever you might wander."


End file.
